As many as 2.3 million adults ages 19 to 24 could lose Medicaid coverage once federal work requirements take hold, according to a new simulation from the Urban Institute, a left-leaning Washington think tank. The estimate, released Monday and reported by Fierce Healthcare, ranges from 1.1 million to 2.3 million depending on how states carry out the rules.
The figure is a model, not a government forecast or a count of people who have already lost coverage. It also does not suggest that young adults are avoiding work. Urban estimates that 88% of young adults in the group already do something that would satisfy the requirement, such as working or attending school.
